


A Return to Ealdor

by Kage Kitsune (Kage_Kitsune)



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-24
Updated: 2021-01-24
Packaged: 2021-03-16 01:27:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,995
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28948161
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kage_Kitsune/pseuds/Kage%20Kitsune
Summary: Arthur and Merlin always fight, but Merlin's mother usually isn't waiting in Gaius’s tower afterwards. And just like that, Arthur finds himself chasing after his servant again.
Relationships: Merlin & Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 258
Kudos: 110





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So this was supposed to be a one shot for a friend…. but I'm no good at keeping my stories at one shots so, it's going to be a little longer. (Aiming to cap at five. )
> 
> Warning: Meruther, Merlin/Arthur, Arthur/Merlin. Slash, gay, shounen-ai, etc.
> 
> Notes (X) is pov change and or time jump

So this was supposed to be a one shot for a friend…. going to be a little longer. (Aiming for five. )

Warning: Meruther, Merlin/Arthur, Arthur/Merlin. Slash, gay, shounen-ai, etc.

Notes (X) is pov change and or time jump

Chapte 

"Just go! I can't even stand to see your face anymore," Arthur screamed. He turned his back on Merlin and started down the hall.

Merlin watched, ready to shout something back, but Arthur’s words stung far more than any of the usual insults they often exchanged and the words wouldn't come out. He closed his mouth, his shoulders slumping, his brain unable to process what had just happened as Arthur vanished from sight around a corner. Any other time he would have ran after Arthur and kept their bickering going, but this time somehow felt different. Like something inside him had broken and not knowing why made him even more confused and angry. 

"Merlin."

He jumped, turning towards the voice. It was Cecil, one of the castle guards. "Y, yes?" Had Arthur ordered Cecil to take him to the dungeon? This was definitely a record, even for Arthur.

"There's a woman asking for you, she said her name was Hunith."

Merlin frowned at that. "My mother?" Why would his mother visit Camelot? None of the letters she’d sent in the past few weeks had even hinted that she might stop by.  _ Oh no…  _ "Where is she?"

"With Gaius."

"Thank you." He took off running down the hall. Something must be horribly wrong for his mother to make another trip to Camelot. They’d agreed to just write after Merlin had been given the ungrateful task of dealing with Arthur on a regular basis and not to mention the prince's wonderful reaction to his childhood friend. If he'd just remained Gaius's apprentice, it wouldn't have been an issue to at least visit around the holidays. Since he'd gotten stuck being Arthur’s manservant though vacations were nothing but a dream. "I hope there isn't another group of bandits," he muttered. 

He made it across the castle and through the hall, and up the tower stairs in what he was sure was his best sprint time ever, panting by the time he reached the door. "Here," he said as loudly as he could given his lack of breath. He entered, grinning, any good cheer he'd been trying to fabricate fading upon seeing his mother. She was sitting in one of the chairs at the table, covered in scratches, bruises, and a particularly deep gash on her right arm that Gaius was dabbing some healing ointment on.

"Mother?!" He ran towards her, grabbing her hand. "What happened!?"

"Merlin." She smiled, but it didn't hide the tiredness in her voice or her eyes. "I'm glad you're doing well. Prince Arthur isn't angry that I asked for you, is he?"

Like Arthur cared about where he was right now. He could have been run over by a merchant's caravan and Arthur wouldn't have noticed, even if he was screaming in front of him. Arthur was too busy fawning over Wilona for him to give Merlin a second look unless he needed to yell at him anyway. So yes, he was doing splendidly. "No, but you're far more beat up than I am. How can I help Gaius?"

"Were you able to get the herbs I asked for last night?"

"I had to meet Halton at home, but yes." He went to their mini storage area to the far left from the steps leading to his room and located the basket he'd used the night before to store the herbs. Thank god he’d walked out on Arthur while the prince prattled off about Lady Wilona the night before and had made it to Halton’s before the merchant had gone to sleep. He brought the basket to Gaius.

"Was he angry?" 

"No, I warned him ahead of time Arthur was being difficult." The understatement of the week. Why Arthur thought he wanted to hear about all Lady Wilona’s likes, dislikes, and every other bloody detail of her life was beyond him. And not just once, no. Arthur had made sure to repeat it every night as Merlin helped him get ready for bed. First, he’d thought nodding and agreeing would get the whole thing out of Arthur’s system. By the fifth day, he’d nonchalantly asked Arthur to shut up, knowing if he made a big deal about it, the prince would do it more. Last night had been day six and Merlin just couldn’t take it anymore. What good did it do for him to know Lady Wilona loved yellow flowers? Or that she preferred a lute to a harp. Or that her favorite color was purple, her favorite fruit a peach? He could make a purple peach flavored cake decorated with yellow flowers for the woman and deliver it to her while the most talented lute musician played her favorite song. It still wouldn’t do him any good. She  _ hated  _ Merlin and she made sure he knew it. Which kind of scared him, because if things kept going as they were, Merlin would be looking for a new job soon.

He really didn’t understand Arthur’s fascination with the woman either. Morgana was much better looking and had a far better mind than Wilona would ever have. Granted, Merlin preferred Arthur’s arse to both of theirs, so maybe he was a bit biased. He'd gone as far as spiking Arthur’s drink with a love spell antidote just in case. The prince had shown no reaction to it. 

"I thought the two of you were friends," Hunith said. 

Merlin rolled his eyes. "I told you we weren't." Though he’d thought that same thing so many times before that he’d managed to convince himself time and time again that it had to be kind of true, only to have reality thrown back into his face. He really needed to stop. The truth was, Arthur had needed a servant that wouldn’t hang themself while tending to his royal spoiled arse, and Merlin had been the perfect target, solution. He hoped King Uther had been training -brainwashing? - someone else for the position, because there was no way Wilona was going to let him stay on as Arthur’s personal servant once they got married. If she let him stay for that long.

Gaius paused, his hands still in the basket, and stared at Merlin. "What happened?"

He hesitated. "Arthur told me he didn't want to see me anymore." 

"He's said far worse," Gaius chuckled.

"I think it was how he said it. It sounded… final." Like Merlin accidentally running into his back when Arthur had stopped without warning was his fault. He hadn’t even fallen over! Yes, Arthur had staggered a bit and… "I think I hurt his pride. He stopped and I wasn't paying attention. Lady Wilona saw." She'd laughed at Arthur and then given Merlin a rather displeased look, like he'd kicked Arthur in the shin and thrown mud at him rather than accidentally bumped into him. The two nobles had exchanged words, Wilona had left, and Arthur had screamed and here they were. 

_ Oh… That's why it hurt,  _ he realized. It wasn't the words themselves; it was because Arthur had lashed out at him in response to Lady Wilona. "I think Arthur might be serious about her." His stomach twisted at the very thought of Arthur falling for anyone. He knew it would happen eventually. Arthur was of age now and Uther had been parading noble girls through the castle lately. He’d gotten along with all the others. Why did the idiot have to fall for the one girl who hated him?

"I thought…" Hunith stopped herself.

"I told you, Arthur likes to act like we're friends. And I was foolish enough to let myself believe it, but I knew the truth. Camelot's very different from Ealdor. Social rankings mean everything." He sighed sitting in the chair closest to his mother. "I need a break from all of this."

"Well… I do need your help." She offered him another tired smile and squeezed his hand. 

He returned the smile, warmth rushing through his body. At least someone loved him

"Merlin!" Gaius hit the back of his head.

"Ow!" He rubbed the spot, glaring at his uncle. "What!?" 

Gaius motioned to his mother. "You need to be careful!"

It took him a second to realize he'd unconsciously healed her. "I'm not apologizing for healing someone!" He grabbed his mother's other hand while she laughed. "It's not more bandits, is it?" He could use a stress relief, but even angry and heartbroken, though he'd never admit it, he wasn't stupid enough to believe that he could take on an entire gang of bandits. They’d barely survived last time, granted he was much stronger and far more in control of his magic than he had been the first time. If he pretended, they were Arthur and Wilona he could probably send them all flying with a wind blast into the next country over.

Hunith shook her head. "I wish it was."

Well, that didn't sound good. "Well, I'm pretty sure I'm dismissed for the day."  _ Or forever. _ "What can I do to help?"

"There's a vrykolakas hunting around Ealdor." 

"A vrykolakas? Are you sure?" A vrykolakas wasn't unheard of, but not exactly common and around Ealdor? That seemed odd, like someone had found one and released it near the village odd.  _ Why do people keep attacking my village?  _ Ealdor hadn’t done anything to anyone, not like Camelot. Not that Camelot didn’t get its share of sorcerers, magical creatures, and whatever else fate could throw at them.

"We found Carver a few days ago just outside the village without a liver," she said, her voice grim. "And something attacked me after I left to get help. Luckily there were some travelers passing by." 

Well, Merlin did need a distraction from Arthur and the fact that his life was falling apart. What seemed like a worse fate? Watching Arthur get married to Wilona and have children, while he waited until Arthur's life was in danger so he could thwart it while Wilona treated him as bad as Uther did, or going to Ealdor to hunt and kill a liver eating undead creature that sometimes ate human flesh, and maybe get lost doing so along the way and well, if you’re lost, what can you do? Lost people didn’t always make it back and his sense of direction was terrible unless he used a spell and what do you know? Magic was illegal in Camelot, so he’d never find the castle again once he left. What a shame. Arthur would just have to find a new man servant to listen to all his gushing and bragging of Lady Wilona. 

"We'll need to kill it," Merlin said.

"Yes," Hunith agreed. "Before it harms anyone else."

"It shouldn't be too hard to kill one, right?" He turned to Gaius who sighed.

"Don't look at me. Get the books while I clean up."

"You mean there's something you don't know?" Gaius glared at him, Merlin grinning in return. He jogged over to the bookcase and started scanning the titles. "Undead creatures and how to dispose of them?" 

"That's it," Gaius said without looking up.

Merlin opened the book and started flipping through the pages. Luckily the creatures were in alphabetical order. "Let's see, former living werewolf or vampire. Says the best way to make sure this thing stays dead is to do three things. Stab it in the heart with a blessed silver stake. Proceed to burn the body and while it's burning, pray for it to rest in peace." He looked up from the book. "Has anyone else died recently?"

"No," Hunith said. 

"It has to be somewhere near Ealdor. The book says it has to return to its grave every morning." 

_ So, we'll be searching for miles around the entire perimeter of Ealdor.  _ Well, that’d definitely give him the break he needed from Arthur for the rest of his life. 

**(X)**

"Are you sure about this Merlin?" He nodded. It wasn't like he had much of a choice. Even if he wasn’t fighting with Arthur, he couldn’t just let a vrykolakas run around near his home. Not only would it kill others, it might manage to take down another - were werewolves and vampires even real? – creature and multiple. He was positive Gaius and he could handle one vrykolakas. But anything beyond that and they might be in trouble. Especially if the things started hunting in packs like the book warned.

"Have you at least spoken with Prince Arthur?"

"No." He'd considered it, but once he'd finally located Arthur, he'd found him speaking with Lady Wilona. Any courage he'd built up had fled and so he'd left without saying a word. Arthur had said he didn't want to see Merlin anyway, no point in angering him even more by showing up to ask him something. Enough time hadn't passed for that. And another part of him was too scared to know how Arthur would answer. 

"I can't give you permission myself to just leave, not for something like this. We'll be gone for a week at least.”

"I have a plan." He grinned at Gaius, the physician groaning.

"Merlin!"

"It's a good plan! There's someone inside this castle who not only outranks Arthur but would absolutely love for me to go away for any sort of extended period of time."

Gaius's eyes widened slightly. "You're going to ask King Uther."

He nodded. He couldn't risk asking Arthur, he might decide to throw Merlin in the dungeon just out of spite, but Uther might hug him and throw him a going away party.

"I hope you know what you're doing."

"What good would it do asking Arthur?" At most the idiot would feel compelled to join him. At least, he might tell Merlin to go and never come back and he couldn't handle hearing those words. Even though he knew Arthur wanted him gone, it wasn’t the same as hearing him say it. 

"I know you two are fighting at the moment, but you two are friends, regardless of what you think. In fact, I think it’s safe to say you're probably Prince Arthur's only true friend."

Merlin snorted. "The knights returned from the border patrol a few hours ago. They can be Arthur's 'friends'. They can take turns being his servant too."

"Now you're just being stubborn!"

"Gaius, I love Arthur. If I stop and think about this, I won't be able to leave without him joining us." And what good would that do? Arthur clearly didn't want him around for a while and his home village needed his help, again. Maybe once they'd had some time apart, they could talk. He could return with Gaius, see if Arthur had gotten over his outburst and if he hadn’t… Well. There were plenty of other places he could go stay.

"That's your brain telling you to ask for help! Didn't you learn your lesson from the last time you ran off back home? If Prince Arthur, Lady Morgana, and Guinevere hadn't shown up, you wouldn't even be here!"

"It's not a clan of bandits, it's one vrykolakas,” he protested.

Gaius scowled, but Merlin could see his resistance was giving. "I'll be back after I ask Uther for permission to leave." 

"Fine!"

Merlin left the tower doing his best not to really think about anything. He paused at the tower exit when he heard laughter. 

"Prince Arthur! I'm going to fall!"

"I won't let you fall; I promise." 

He dared a look outside, the knots in his stomach returning as well as tightening. Wilona was on a pony, a look of utter delight on her face, Arthur walking beside her. 

He pulled his head back inside and cursed. 

"Merlin," Nyle, the guard, asked. 

"Arthur told me he didn't want to see me, but I have to get to the other side of the castle." 

"I wouldn't worry about that; they've been oblivious to everything around them."

That was both good and horrible news. "Perfect, thanks Nyle." He took a breath, grinned at Nyle, and ran across the hall, making sure to stay close to the opposite wall. He stumbled through the door leading into the main castle. No one yelled, so Arthur hadn't seen him and if he had, was too engrossed with Wilona to worry about it.

_ Alright, you can do this.  _ The halls were empty, and it didn't take long for him to arrive at the throne room. He stopped in front of the double doors. "I need to speak with King Uther." The two guards exchanged weary looks. "It's  _ good  _ news. He'll be brimming with joy afterwards."

"No offense, but no one would believe that."

"I promise."

"He'll throw Merlin into the stocks, not us," Ulric said, shrugging, and opening the door.

Swallowing, Merlin entered. 

As soon as Uther saw him, he sighed, any happiness he might have had, fading fast. "What do  _ you _ want?" 

Merlin glanced around the room. Uther was actually alone. That made this easier. "I would like your permission to leave for a while." 

Uther raised an eyebrow and leaned forward, hope flashing into his eyes. "For how long?"

_ Well, looks like this is my letter of resignation.  _ He'd have to worry about that later. Besides, he'd feel better if he quit like all of Arthur’s other servants rather than getting fired. "A week at the very least. I'm needed in Ealdor again."

A smile broke onto Uther's face. "So, you may be gone longer?"

"I could stay gone long enough, until Prince Arthur has grown accustomed to a new servant," he suggested. Merlin had been right. Those were the magic words. 

"Take as long as you need. Feel free not to come back at all," he said, beaming. You’d have thought Merlin had told him all the sorcerers in the world had burst into flames and died.

"Thank you, King Uther." He bowed as Gaius had done so many times before. "I'll be leaving soon, before the sun sets if possible." 

"Splendid." He looked happier than Merlin had ever seen him.

"Thank you again." 

"No, thank you."

Merlin turned and left the throne room. He’d never thought he could make Uther the happiest man on earth.

"I think this is the first time you've gone into the throne room alone and we didn't have to drag you out," Ulric said.

"I told you it was good news." He started down the hall again, stopping at the corner when he heard footsteps. Better not to run into someone else and stand out right before he left. His breath caught when Arthur came into view.

The prince noticed him at the same time, their eyes locking.

For a second he lost what sanity he had and started to tell him everything. Despite their little row, he trusted Arthur. If anyone could help them, it was him. "My--" he snapped his mouth shut. 

"What?"

"Nevermind," he mumbled, dropping his gaze to the floor before walking around him. 

Arthur sighed. "Merlin."

He stopped, mentally cursing. "Yeah?"

"About earlier…"

"Don't." If Arthur apologized, he would give in and then he'd tell him what was going on and it just couldn't happen. Not when Merlin had seen proof that Arthur was happy being with a noble woman. Happy with having a normal life. He didn't need to get involved in weird things.  _ No more.  _ "It's fine."

"No, it's not. I—"

"I need to get back to Gaius. He needs me to collect some herbs." 

"Oh…. Right… Did you want some help?"

"No. Some of these will take the rest of the day to find."

"All the more reason for me to help. I'm good at tracking and it'll go faster."

_ I didn't want to do this.  _ He steeled himself and turned around so he could meet Arthur’s eyes. "That would be absolutely unacceptable for me to ask for your help Prince Arthur," he said, his voice even. "You've Lady Wilona to entertain after all and I'm perfectly capable of doing my assigned tasks without help. But thank you for offering my lord." He repeated the bow he'd used on Uther a moment before.

Arthur's mouth fell open, his face slowly turning red. "Don't mock me!"

_ Only Arthur would accuse me of mocking him because I used the correct level of politeness.  _ "I don't want your apology."

"Good because you're not getting it! I hope you spend all night looking for those herbs!"

"So, do I! Then I won't have to look at you either!" He stomped down the hall, praying Arthur wouldn't come after him. He felt bad enough already for lying to him, but the vrykolakas was, his problem, not Arthur's. Arthur only needed to worry about when he should have his wedding.

He stole a glance as he turned, frowning when he saw Arthur still standing where he'd left him, his gaze glued to him. 

_ Damnit…  _ Sighing, he took a step towards Arthur. Leaving on bad terms would definitely make it easier, for both of them. If something happened to him after he returned to Ealdor, Arthur wouldn't be nearly as sad if they were fighting.  _ Who am I kidding? You have to care about someone to feel bad when they pass.  _ And Arthur clearly did not.  __

Arthur glared at him when their eyes met again and walked off in the other direction.

**(X)**

"Okay, that's everything," Merlin said. They'd packed the books, the ingredients they might need to fight the creature, food, bedrolls, and a change of clothes. Actually, Merlin had packed all his clothes and the more important books, claiming to Gaius that they might need them, but he had a feeling his uncle understood his true intentions. 

"Let's get going. The faster we kill this thing, the faster we can come home," Gaius said, as they stepped out into the castle yard.

"I'm surprised King Uther gave you permission." Uther had probably danced when he'd left the throne room, but he couldn’t imagine the king reacting the same way when Gaius had asked.

"King Uther likes me," Gaius said, smiling. "Besides, he doesn't like to leave undead creatures stalking his border."

"Thank you again, Gaius," Hunith said.

"Bandits I couldn't help with, vrykolakas I can manage."

_ Funny, I feel the same way about Arthur. _

Together the three of them left the tower.

**(X)**

"Who's that woman with Gaius and Merlin," Morgana asked. "She looks familiar."

Arthur looked out the window, frowning.  _ Why does Gaius and Merlin have bags and bedrolls?  _ "Merlin said something earlier about collecting ingredients. Maybe that's the woman who needed them." It would make sense if Gaius left to mix and administer the medicine and, taking Merlin, followed that logic. So, why was he getting such a bad feeling? Arthur hadn’t had the time or energy to chase Merlin down after their last run in that afternoon. His father had made it clear he was to entertain the girl and keep her happy given the possible treaty their relationship could establish. The more he was with her though, the less he saw of anyone, okay, the less he saw of Merlin, and he hated it. Wilona would be gone in a few days though and then his life could go back to normal. Or as normal as his life struggled to be with Merlin around.

"I feel like we're never going to see them again," Morgana breathed. She had that strange look in her eye that she got sometimes.

"So do I." Saying it out loud made the feeling that much worse.

"They're just going to collect some herbs, right?"

“That’s what Merlin said…” Not that Merlin always told him everything. How many times had he mentioned something only for there to be a paragraph’s worth of an explanation left out of the one sentence he actually said?” All of his gut feelings seemed to be screaming at this point. What hadn’t he noticed? What had his idiot servant been withholding from him?

“Do you think the knights know where he went?”

“Why… well maybe.” Merlin had some strange friendship with a few of the knights, namely Lancelot. He could see Merlin turn to Gaius and say something as they stepped into the city market. Arthur’s heart stopped. “No, we shouldn’t bother the knights,” he said shaking his head. “It’ll take too long.”

“So, we’re going to follow them?”

_ Like we have a choice.  _ "Merlin leaves a trail like a large bear. Grab a few things and meet me at the gate." Once they saw that Merlin was indeed just going to collect ingredients, they could come back, and he could relax.

“What about Lady Wilona?”

“What about her?”

“She’ll expect you at dinner. She doesn’t care if I’m there though. I’ll go.”

“And risk you getting hurt? I don’t think so.” He’d never forgive himself, nor would his father, if something horrible happened to Morgana. “Either we both go or neither of us go.”

“I could go with Lancelot,” she said, quickly.

_ Why doesn’t she want me to go?  _ He tried to keep his face blank. “Why are you so against me going?”

“If Uther finds out we’re both gone, he’s going to have a fit.”

He considered that. His father had not been thrilled when Arthur and Morgana had chased after Merlin a year ago. It was unlikely he’d be happy doing it now, actually, he’d probably be angrier since Wilona was here. They could wait until after dinner so they could get a head start, but… He shook his head. “We’ll have to risk it.”

**(X)**

"What do you plan on doing after we kill the vrykolakas?" 

They'd been walking for hours and finally decided to stop for the night. His family had been nice enough not to ask him any questions while they'd been walking or setting up their sad excuse of a camp. It seemed now that they had settled down for the evening and had finished eating, Gaius expected some answers. He'd known the question would come but had been hoping Gaius wouldn't ask so soon. 

"I don't know." And he really didn't. He didn't want to leave Gaius behind, he couldn't just abandon Arthur, not with the prophecy and all. But the thought of returning to Camelot…. "Perhaps I'll become a hermit."

"What good would that do!?" 

"Sorcerers attack Arthur from afar all the time. I can just as easily protect him that way."

Gaius rolled his eyes. "You're impossible sometimes."

"I don't think you understand how much Arthur’s words hurt earlier. Besides, it's better if I'm gone. He can court Lady Wilona and…" he bit his lip unable to get the rest out. 

Sighing Gaius wrapped an arm around Merlin's shoulders. "I know. It's not easy watching the person you love, love someone else." 

"And he'd know," Hunith said, nudging Gaius gentle and smiling. 

Gaius glared at her. 

"So, it's a family curse," Merlin asked. "We're destined to watch the ones we love fall for someone else?”

“Sort of,” Gaius muttered.

"Wonderful. Until Arthur I never even felt this way. How could I be so stupid?"

"It really wasn't much of a stretch for you," Gaius snickered. 

Merlin gave his uncle a look, before shrugging. What did any of it matter? "I… I found a way so…."

"Found a way to what," Gaius asked. 

"I found a way to keep Arthur safe without me needing to be near him." He'd stumbled across the spell by chance in an old book he'd found on one of the knights' quests. 

"Why didn't you mention it before!?"

"Because I didn't think I needed to."

"You-- Merlin how could you be so selfish!? So…" his voice trailed off when Merlin dropped his head. "What kind of spell are we talking about?"

"It's a shielding spell." 

" _ And?" _

Gaius knew him all too well. "It requires a lot of magic and a lot of energy." The entry in the book said the last person they'd seen cast the spell had collapsed once the spell was done. They'd recovered, sort of, and died a few weeks later with no explanation. The shielded person had lived. An added note in the corner had claimed the shielded person was still alive well into their eighties. 

Gaius snorted. "Both of which you have plenty of."

"Are you really willing to give up your position as Prince Arthur's servant," Hunith asked. 

"...." They'd find out sooner or later. "... Uther took my request as my letter of resignation. He's probably already found Arthur a new servant."

"WHAT," Gaius screamed. 

**(X)**

Arthur grabbed the nearest tree trunk, his mind mimicking Gaius's scream. Was that the horrible feeling he's had? "If I hadn't gone after him…."

"Uther probably has someone standing in your room now waiting for you," Morgana said. 

He nodded dully. 

"What are you going to do?"

"Do?" He tore his eyes away from Merlin. "About what?"

Morgana stared at him, wide eyed. "About Merlin," she hissed swatting his arm. 

"I don't have to do anything."

"You really are as heartless as Uther. After everything Merlin has done for you!"

Arthur frowned, trying to follow Morgana's logic. "What are you talking about?"

"Fine then. Let the best Pendragon win." She strode into the encampment, her head held high. "Merlin!" The three in the camp jumped, Merlin dropping the stick he was holding into the fire. 

_ Damnit.  _ He'd wanted to hear more of the conversation before they revealed themselves.

"What are you doing!?" Arthur ran after her, the three staring back and forth between Morgana and himself. 

"What are  _ you  _ doing," Merlin asked. When he caught sight of Arthur, his eyes widened. 

He looked at his servant, not entirely sure what to say. They bickered all the time, but Merlin had never left Camelot over any of their previous rows. More importantly though… he turned to the woman, surprised at who it actually was. "Lady Hunith?" 

"Prince Arthur," she replied, bowing her head.

The bad feeling in Arthur’s gut grew. "What are the three of you doing here? Are there more bandits threatening Ealdor?" He sat down next to Merlin, making sure their legs were touching. What in the hell had Merlin been thinking!? Ealdor had barely survived last time and that was with Arthur's help and a sorcerer!

"What? No. There aren't any bandits," Merlin said. 

"Why are you going to Ealdor then?" Wasn't the first time bad enough? He'd practically had William thrown in the dungeons for being Merlin's friend. A strange rage had overcome him the second he'd seen William hugging Merlin. It'd gotten worse when he'd found out they were childhood friends. And if he'd heard the words "He doesn't really know you" one more time, he'd have been the one burning down Ealdor. Actually, that didn't sound like a bad idea since it seemed to be a reoccurring curse that dragged Merlin back once a year now.

Morgana rolled her eyes. "Because it's his home Arthur."

Arthur scrunched his face up. "No, it's not. Camelot is."

"I haven't visited Ealdor in quite a while. I thought it would be nice," Gaius said. "When I told Merlin, he wanted to go with."

"Hmph."  _ Why would Merlin want to go back?  _ Camelot had so much more to offer. And obviously Lady Hunith had traveled to Camelot first to meet with her family. There was no need for this trip, for Merlin to leave. And who was going to tend to his needs if Merlin wasn't with him? Some random servant his father picked out? Sure, he'd gotten Merlin that way, but he wasn't risking it. Merlin was his and he wasn't letting anyone else into his room, bottom line.

"Why are you two here," Merlin asked. "Uther's going to be mad."

"That's an understatement," Gaius snorted.

He ran a hand through his hair, nodding. His father was going to murder him for skipping out on Wilona. Thank god he had though! "What's really going on?"

"Just go back to Camelot," Merlin sighed.

"And risk my father forcing some new servant on me? I'm not going back until you do!"

"You can't do that!"

"Watch me." Merlin made a face, but he didn't care. He dropped his head into his hands, hardly able to process the situation. If not for Morgana's prompting and his bad feeling, he might have lost Merlin for good. He could feel his blood beginning to boil. "Come here." He grabbed Merlin by the arm, stood up, and pulled him roughly away from the camp. Once they were far enough to not be overheard, Arthur turned on him. "So, you were just going to leave? And what?"

Merlin averted his eyes. 

Somehow Merlin's silence was worse than him answering. 

"I can't believe you. You purposely angered me so I wouldn't question where you were or send the new servant away!"

"No," Merlin said, loudly, looking up at him. "I was going to apologize and explain everything, but you walked away." 

_ Damnit!  _

"I didn't just decide to run off. After our fight, I went back to the tower and my mother was there. She asked us to help her with something in Ealdor."

"Like what?"

"Nothing we can't manage," he said, uneasily. He refused to look at Arthur again.

"Merlin!"

He winced. "... There's a vrykolakas hunting around the village," he whispered.

"A vrykolakas!? You thought you and Gaius could handle taking on a vrykolakas by yourselves!?"

"It's not hard to kill a vrykolakas," Merlin protested.

"You!!" He growled turning his back on Merlin. Merlin of all people had no chance at fighting, well, anything! He turned back to him. "What would have happened if you'd confronted that thing alone!? I could have lost you!"

"Gaius and I would...wait what?" 

_ Why did I just say that!?  _ He growled in frustration and pulled Merlin into a tight hug. "How could you risk such a thing!?"

**(TBC)**

  
  
  



	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes I wonder if I can keep coming up with random, funny stuff. I tend to think I've hit a wall and then something just clicks, usually it's lack of sleep, desperation, and tea. And I end up with something like this. I wonder if I'll be cringing when I read this after I've had sleep. I think I'll just apologize now. 
> 
> Warning: Meruther. Slash, yaoi, shounen-ai, Arthur/Merlin, Merlin/Arthur 

"I, I--"l Merlin couldn't get his breathing under control as he returned the embrace without thinking, his head resting on Arthur's shoulder. 

For one glorious moment, the world stopped. 

And then it started again.

Arthur shoved him out to arm's length, his face clearly red despite the dim light around them and he was sure his was just as bright, perhaps even more so. Merlin staggered back barely having time to turn and throw his hands out to stop himself from hitting a tree. "I could have lost my personal servant! Do you know how long it takes to break one in!? It's been two years and you still aren't!"

_ I…  _ He blinked. For a second he wasn't sure where he was or what was going on. He turned back, sliding to the ground, his back resting against the tree trunk he'd almost crashed into, eyes looking forward without actually registering anything.  _ I'm so stupid.  _ Why did he keep getting his hopes up like this? Arthur was right, after two years he really should have learned.

"And why is it your village always sends your  _ mother  _ when something goes wrong? Do they honestly think just because you're my servant that I'm going to come rushing to their rescue every time something goes wrong," he demanded. "Because I won't. You shouldn’t even be going!"

_ Why do I keep letting myself think he cares about me!?!  _ To be fair though, Arthur had hugged him a second ago and usually people only hugged others that they liked. He took a breath, still not looking at the prince. "My mother didn't come hoping to get  _ your  _ help! She wanted Gaius'. I just decided to go with and help and… well. I, I needed to get away." And now he'd need to get away longer because this little, whatever it had been had caused his brain to short circuit, and looking at Arthur was not helping it recover. 

Arthur frowned. "For how long!?"

"I'm not sure." He inhaled deeply.  _ How do I get him to leave? _

"You can't do this. I'm livid with you right now," he mumbled. 

"I'm sorry." He dropped his gaze. To think Arthur had chased after him, again, only for Merlin to anger him more. Maybe that would be enough for Arthur. He'd go back home now and never come after him again. 

Instead, Arthur sighed and sat down next to him. "I can't believe you ran off again. At least you told me last time." He ran a hand through his hair, growling quietly. "You're not supposed to ever be too far from my side, so why…?"

_ You're the one who told me you didn't want to see me!  _ And what better way to do that then to leave Camelot _?  _ It was Arthur though. Perhaps he needed to be reminded he didn't like Merlin? He did seem to forget that fact often. "Well, now that you're trying to find a wife, you don't exactly need me anymore."

"What are you talking about?"

Why were the hot ones always so dumb? "Did you actually think I'd get to stay with you for the rest of your life," he laughed. It would have been nice, but he'd known that wasn't going to happen. Not with someone like Arthur anyway.

"Gaius has been at my father's side for over twenty years," he said, as if that made it some kind of law that all servants had to waste twenty years of their life tending to Arthur and his family. 

Merlin wasn't sure if he should let him know that servants were allowed to quit at any time. Probably not. Arthur seemed a little unstable at the moment. "And Huon?" Huon was Uther's personal servant and had been the longest lasting one at three years.

"Th, that's not…" Arthur shook his head. "You aren't allowed to leave,  _ ever _ . I'm ordering you right now to never leave me."

Not quite what Merlin had, had in mind. Actually, it wasn't even a possibility. Kilgarrah had just told him a few weeks ago that they were deviating from the prophecy and Merlin might have to sacrifice himself in order to keep Arthur safe. At the time he hadn't quite understood how he could continue to protect Arthur while he was dead until he'd come across that spell. Not that he could tell Arthur that. "Um, listen--" 

"No! You listen! You're my personal servant and eventually you'll be my court physician. You do  _ not  _ get to go anywhere!"

_ I don't know how to handle this.  _ One second Arthur wanted him by his side, the next he hated him. And people thought he was crazy. He must be missing something, but he wasn't quite sure what. "Arthur, Wilona hates me about as much as your father does."

"So? A lot of the nobles do."

"So? The first thing she's going to ask you to do is to get rid of me."

"And you thought I'd humor her and do it?"

"Well maybe not now, but once you two are married…." Merlin couldn't quite pinpoint the look Arthur was suddenly making. Some kind of angry confused one with mixes of disgust and was that horror? 

"I'm not going to marry Wilona." He'd practically spat her name out. 

"You're not?" Now he was frowning. Had they gotten into a fight and Arthur had come after him to avoid his father's wrath? Perhaps Wilona's too. "Why? You're crazy about her."

"No, I'm not. She annoys everyone around her, myself included. She's spoiled. She's not even a good person in general." He leaned against the tree, his shoulder and parts of his arm touching Merlin's. "I'd much rather have a more outgoing, nice, person. Someone who isn't scared of telling me the truth when I'm wrong. Someone I can trust. Someone who really wants to be at my side."

"Y, yeah?" So Arthur did prefer Morgana to Wilona. That was good. He'd much rather have her as his queen than Willona. Arthur placed his hand on top of Merlin's.  _ Why is he touching my hand?  _ This wasn't making much sense. Maybe Arthur didn't realize what he was doing.  _ Act normal.  _ If he didn't make it a big deal, Arthur would stop. "Why did you keep going on and on about her?"

"Because I enjoy annoying you," Arthur said, smiling.

_ Jerk.  _ "I tried not to let it show." He'd been so sure he was doing a good job of it too. Not once during any of Arthur’s speeches had he yelled, thrown something at him, or tried to set his room on fire, though he'd come very close to the latter, unintentionally of course. 

"Your eye twitched every time I started talking about her."

"Ugh." He leaned his head back and started laughing. 

Snickering, Arthur turned his head and kissed Merlin's forehead. Merlin's laughter died as his temperature soared. "Promise me you'll stay."

"P, promise." How could he possibly say no after that? Arthur had just kissed him and even if it was on the forehead, it'd been his first kiss besides any he'd gotten from his mother. Oh, and that one time with Gwaine, but that didn't really count. And he'd kissed Will once or twice when they were still quite young, but Will had been family.  _ Ugh.  _ He was grateful Arthur was sitting beside him. If he hadn’t been, chances were he’d have started giggling manically and maybe even fallen over. Well, that or started crying and neither sounded fun.

"Good." He looked satisfied. “…Should we head back?”

“Go ahead, I’ll catch up.”  _ I need to try and piece some of my sanity back together.  _

“And give you a chance to run off again,” he demanded, the anger from earlier creeping back into his voice. 

_ No, because I don’t think I can stand up yet.  _ He was pretty sure if he tried, his legs would not hold him. “No. I just want some time to think.”

“Too bad.” Without waiting for a response, Arthur put his arm under Merlin’s and hefted him to his feet.

“ARTHUR!”

“Mess with me and I’ll carry you into camp,” he warned, his eyes flashing.

“I’m coming! Just let me go!”

Arthur seemed to consider this and smirked. “No.”

“You’re such a prat."

"Why would you want to sit out here alone anyway?"

"You wouldn't understand." And even if he did, it wouldn't matter. 

"You're right, I wouldn't. Who would pass up the chance to camp with me?"

Merlin sighed.

**(X)**

_ How do I get into these situations?  _ Merlin was on the ground next to the fire trying to fall asleep and failing splendidly. It'd taken forever for his mind to calm down after they'd returned to camp, their three companions looking at them expectantly. Arthur had acted like nothing had happened though so he'd played along like the obedient servant for once in his life and did the same. 

Morgana kept looking at him and nodding towards Arthur. He had no idea what she was trying to get at. Gaius looked disappointed, but he couldn't tell his uncle anything that had happened until they were alone. And worst of all? His mother kept smiling at Arthur and treating him almost like a son, not that the idiot prince seemed to mind. No, he seemed quite pleased to receive her attention. 

All in all, he'd probably managed maybe an hour or two of sleep between actually going to sleep and before he was woken up by Arthur lying down next to him, which was exactly why he was awake now, struggling not to scream, because he didn’t know what to do. His body wanted to curl up against him while his mind told him to stop being stupid and run while Arthur slept. 

"Merlin."

Said warlock half turned, propping himself up with his elbow, which was a little difficult to do since Arthur's ankle stretched over his leg just below the knee holding him down. Gaius was looking at him intently like he always did when he knew Merlin had something wrong. "Yeah?"

"What happened?"

"I honestly have no idea." One second he'd thought Arthur wanted to court him, the next he was sure Arthur just didn't want to have to train another servant. And then the Prince of Camelot had kissed him… 

"What do you mean?"

"I'm telling you, I think something has broken inside his brain. I don't think there's anything to worry about though." As thrilled as he'd been to receive a kiss on the forehead, that wasn't exactly romantic. It was more like kissing a kid or a pet and Arthur probably considered him both.

"Really?" Gaius arched an eyebrow, motioning to Arthur. The prince had been kind enough to move closer to Merlin and drape an arm over his chest. It beat having Arthur's feet in his face like the last time he'd slept this close to him though. 

"....He's worried I'll run away?"

Gaius didn't look convinced. "And?"

"And said Ealdor needed to stop using me to get him to come there every time something bad happens."

Gaius made a face. "They didn't ask for Prince Arthur's help, they asked for mine."

"You try to get him to believe that." He started playing with the hem of his neckerchief. "Oh he also ordered me to stay in Camelot as his servant until I became his court physician," he blurted out. Which was kind of what Arthur had said. Repeating the real sentence would only result in more confusion and fighting. And well, he could maybe tell his uncle Arthur had deemed him a pet once they were alone. 

"Nothing else," Gaius pressed. 

"I can't…." he motioned to where the women were sleeping. It was embarrassing to tell Gaius, but there'd be hell to pay if Morgana happened to be awake and overheard him. She would tease Merlin the rest of his no doubt short life and use it as blackmail against Arthur. Not that there was any proof of what had happened. Arthur would never admit it and Merlin wasn't about to risk getting hung over a kiss on the forehead.  _ Why am I so worried? Nothing happened.  _ Arthur might as well have kissed his horse. Nothing more, nothing less, though knowing Arthur he'd admit to kissing his horse on the forehead because the horse actually worked as far as Arthur was concerned. 

"...if you say so. Just promise me you won't do anything stupid."

Two years too late for that. "...What would you consider stupid for this situation?"

"In this case? Don't anger Prince Arthur and don't do anything rash."

He'd already done both of those things more than once in the last twenty four hours. "I think it's a bit too late for that." 

Gaius glared at him. "Prince Arthur has tracked you down both times you've headed home."

"Yeah, I noticed," he muttered. If he ever wanted any of Arthur’s attention all he had to do was run. Granted, once they returned to Camelot Arthur would go back to ignoring him as he always did. 

"So, stop trying to run. Prince Arthur is not going to let you go anywhere."

"Funny, I thought he was the one who told me to go away."

"It's Prince Arthur."

Merlin sighed. It was always about Prince Arthur. 

**(X)**

"Merlin."

"I'm sleeping," he mumbled, wishing the annoying voice would leave him alone. Didn't it understand how long it'd taken him to fall asleep? How crazy his dreams had been? He needed at least four more hours before he could wake up and think somewhat properly again. 

"We need to talk."

"Later." Merlin tried to make his mind drift back to sleep when he felt pressure on his nose. He frowned, the pressure increasing.  _ I can't breathe!  _ He shot up, gasping for breath, Arthur sitting next to him, looking off into the distance, pretending to be innocent. "YOU TRIED TO KILL ME!!"

"Shhh!! I did not!" He grabbed Merlin’s arm and hauled him to his feet before the warlock was even fully awake. This was becoming a bad habit. 

_ Is he kidnapping me!?  _ He opened his mouth to yell for help when Arthur slapped his hand over it.

"Make a scene and I'll kill you," he promised. Merlin nodded, eyes wide. "Good," he said, cheerfully and removed his hand.

_ He's definitely kidnapping me.  _ They walked out of earshot of the camp where they'd been the night before. Merlin had the distinct feeling Arthur was going to tell him to turn around and then he'd behead him.

"Listen, about last night…."

_ They won't be able to hear my screams and Arthur's as talented as a druid when it comes to finding and hiding stuff in forests. No one will ever find my body. They'll just think I ran from my position like all the other servants! ...What if some of those servants didn't leave of their own free will!?  _ His mouth fell open as he took a few steps away from Arthur. 

"I know, I know! What I did was inexcusable!" He shook his head and let out a frustrated growl. "I wasn't thinking straight, okay!?"

_About which part!?_ Because everything Arthur had done the night before pretty much fell into that category and seemed to be continuing into now. "O, okay?" 

"I, I…!" His face went dark red. "It was a mistake, do you understand me!? A mistake! You can't tell anyone!"

He still wasn't completely sure what was the mistake. Maybe he meant all of it? "Did you actually think I thought?" He started laughing, glad for once he'd read the situation the day before properly. No stunned broken heart for Merlin this time! "I know that!" Ignoring the fact that he'd thought twice, okay half the night, that Arthur actually had feelings for him. Common sense had won out in the end and he'd finally been able to get some sleep. "I know you think I'm a complete fool, but give me a little credit sire. I know you don't like me."  _ In more ways than one.  _ Such was life.

"You do? G, good. I wouldn't want you or anyone else getting the wrong idea. I mean,  _ me,  _ have feelings for a  _ servant?  _ If I was going to lose my mind and let that happen, I'd fall for a better looking one than you. Or at least one that knows how to do their bloody job half decent." 

"If you knew even a fraction of the things I do for you--"

"Pft! What have you ever done for me? The only thing you're capable of is getting me dressed!"

_ I'm done.  _ "Go home." He knew Arthur wasn't aware of all the things he did to keep him safe and he couldn't even tell him or he'd risk getting burned to death. Still, there were the few times he did know about! Like the poison he'd drank for him, all the lies to Uther, fetching Arthur medicine when the git had nightmares or colds. He'd trained with him until, thank God, the knights with real strength and skill had joined his army. That the prat was denying all of that...

Arthur narrowed his eyes. "No."

"Listen. Us." He motioned to Arthur and then to himself. "It's over. I'm taking back my title as commoner."

Arthur's face darkened. "What do you mean?"

"I quit. Go find yourself a new servant." He started walking back towards the camp.

"You just promised me last night you'd never leave my side!" He caught up with Merlin easily. 

"Oh, well. Sorry. Seems we were both making mistakes last night." He glared at Arthur. 

"You can't talk to me that way!!"

"I just did!"

"Take it back!" 

"You take back your take back first!"

"I don't have to, I'm the prince!"

"And I don't have to because I'm a commoner from another country! In fact, I think I'll go see if  _ my  _ king needs another servant!"

"Don't you dare!"

"Try me."

Growling Arthur approached him. "With pleasure."

_ Don't back down!  _ Their faces were inches from each other.  _ Well, I already quit and I'm on a roll.  _ He threw his arms around Arthur's neck, pulled him down, and kissed him.

When they pulled apart, Arthur looked like he might die. "You call that a kiss," he growled. Before Merlin could answer, he pulled the warlock closer, kissing him deeply. 

_ He is better at this.  _ Well, Arthur wasn’t pushing him away. For once. He ran his hands through Arthur's hair, loving how soft it felt. 

"You call that a kiss? Sir Olwin can do better," he taunted.

Arthur stared at him a second before he started laughing. "No wonder you're so bad at kissing. Who practices with Olwin?" He looked Merlin over. "Suppose he's the only one who'd have you since he's senile."

_ You arse!!  _ "I do  _ NOT  _ practice kissing with Olwin!"

"So how do you know who kisses better?" He smirked, his eyes dancing, as he waited for Merlin to reply.

Scowling, Merlin looked away. He'd hoped his insult would trigger Arthur's competitive side and he'd kiss him again, not get them bickering. "I won't tell anyone. Just do the world a favor and go home," he grumbled.  _ I'm more tired now then before I went to bed.  _

"I already told you, I'm not going home without you." He set his jaw in that stubborn princely way he did and Merlin knew he'd be getting nowhere with the fool unless he hit him in the head with a rock. And as much as Arthur was asking for it, that would probably be considered treason. 

"You'll be lucky if I ever go back to Camelot with you!"

Arthur laughed. "You have nowhere else to go!"

_ Not this again!  _ "I have a perfectly good village where my mother lives that I can return to!" 

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, right. All of those people just can't wait for a sorcerer to come back to them."

Merlin froze, Arthur's eyes widening. 

"SYMPATHIZER! I meant a sorcerer  _ sympathizer _ ," he shouted, because that was so much better for the world to know. 

_ I think I just had a heart attack. _

Arthur looked him over. "Merlin!?"

"I… umm. Right. So…" He had no idea what to say at this point. His reality was fast turning into...something or another and he needed to sit down or faint or, well, something. 

"I didn't mean that, okay?! I just, I can't lose you!"

Merlin finally met his gaze. "You lose me all the time."

"Not like this!"

Merlin shrugged. Maybe if he stayed quiet, Arthur would just wander off in the other direction and he could run away, fast, back to Gaius. Arthur just kept looking at him though like he expected Merlin to somehow make all of this right. Well, Arthur had better figure it out, he was a Warlock, not a God. 

"We can't keep doing this," Arthur whispered. 

"I haven't done anything." At least not today. Okay he'd kissed Arthur and tried to get him to keep kissing him, actually, no. That was Arthur's fault too for being so hot. 

"Merlin, you're just as in love with me as I am you," he pointed out. 

Merlin could feel his face turning red. "I never once said I was in love with you!"

"You kissed me!"

Merlin's face flushed darker. "That doesn't mean I love you." 

"Name one person who isn't a family member that you have kissed that you don't love!" He smirked. "Besides Olwin."

"I've never kissed Olwin! The only person I've ever kissed that isn't related to me was Gwaine!" 

Arthur stared at him, his mouth falling open. "WHY!?"

Merlin flinched, cursing and started backing away.  _ Why am I so stupid!?  _ Gwaine had gotten himself poisoned and the only way to get the antidote into his system had been to kiss him. Gwaine sometimes joked that they were a couple after a few drinks, but they both knew there'd been nothing romantic involved with that kiss. They'd also agreed not to tell anyone because the poison and its cure had been magic related and neither had wanted rumors going around about magic or the kiss. 

He glanced at Arthur. Merlin has been sure Arthur would come after him, but the prince seemed to have gone into shock. "Arthur?" 

"Why didn't I do it sooner," he asked, quietly.

"H, huh?"

He threw his arms back around Merlin and kissed him again. 

_ Umm…  _ Merlin didn't know how to react in a situation like this. Hadn't Arthur just said everything the night before had been a mistake? He broke the kiss, Arthur glaring at him. "You haven't by chance ran into any other sorcerer sympathizers, have you?" 

"What? Besides you," he asked, his confusion clear. 

"Yes, any at all." Because he sure couldn't come up with any kind of explanation for any of Arthur’s behavior. 

"No, just you. Why?"

"No reason…" Well, there went that idea. 

"So who's kiss did you enjoy more? Mine or Gwaine's?"

_ Gwaine’s going to kill me.  _ "Yours." Not that there was any competition there. Gwaine and him didn't have any romantic feelings for each other and the poisoned knight had been completely unconscious at the time. 

"Thought so," he said, his voice smug. 

**(X)**

All three sets of eyes fell on them as they returned to camp. 

"Is everything alright," Gaius asked. "We heard shouting."

_ So you could hear my screams and decided not to help me,  _ Merlin thought, glaring at his uncle. So much for being able to rely on family!

"No," Arthur said, coming up behind Merlin. "This is the  _ last  _ time Merlin runs off to Ealdor, for any reason. I can't have my servant vanishing on me every time the village has a little problem."

_ And after all that he still calls me a servant.  _

"An entire guild of bandits and a vrykolakas are hardly 'little problems'," Morgana protested. 

"Ealdor is my home," Merlin added.

"No, Camelot is," Arthur said, flatly.

"Since when!?"

"Since you moved into Gaius's tower!"

"That's not how that works," Merlin muttered, rubbing his temples. Why was Arthur so insistent that Ealdor was no longer his home? 

"It is," Arthur said, leaving no room to debate. "We'll go and help Ealdor  _ again  _ this time, but  _ your _ king needs to hire some guards."

Merlin rolled his eyes deciding this particular topic wasn't worth fighting about. Everyone else knew the truth and that's all that mattered. That and they didn't have the time to waste bickering about what location was Merlin's real home with a dead undead running around. 

"King Cenred would never do that for our village," Hunith said. 

"Perhaps I'll remind him that Ealdor is on the kingdom's border with a glaring weak spot in its defenses." 

"Doesn't that technically mean Camelot does too," Merlin asked. The border was hardly patrolled on Camelot's side either. "If my mother hadn't said anything, the vrykolakas could have made it to Camelot without anyone knowing until bodies started piling up."

Arthur seemed to consider this and frowned. Morgana started laughing. 

"We can worry about that later," Gaius sighed. "For now, let's eat some breakfast and move on."

**(X)**

Breakfast was a hastily eaten meal of fruit and dried meat. Afterwards they'd cleaned up camp, and started on their way to Ealdor. 

The other four were talking about different ways to possibly lure the vrykolakas out, but Arthur was finding it hard to focus. 

_ Maybe I could have Gwaine exiled.  _ How dare one of his trusted knights kiss Merlin before he had the chance? The only good thing to have come from the exchange was Merlin knew that he was a superior kisser. That and Merlin had said he'd kissed Gwaine, but didn't love him, which meant Merlin had chosen Arthur.  _ Why did he even kiss Gwaine in the first place!?  _ Did Merlin kiss anyone who asked him to, or if they kissed him first? Was his servant that desperate for attention?

"Arthur, you're going to get yourself killed," Morgana said, amused.

He looked up, stopping short of walking into a fence. The ducks inside were staring at him curiously, their heads tilted to the side, like they were waiting to see if he was going to start walking again and join them in their pen.

"Hey guys," Merlin said, happily. He leaned over the fence and held his hand out grinning. The ducks waddled over to him quickly, and of all things, let Merlin start petting them. 

"Stupid ducks," he grumbled walking around the fence and stomping into the village.

He hated coming to Ealdor, especially with Merlin. Come to think of it, he'd never bothered to step foot in the village before he'd met Merlin. Letting Merlin return home though was always a risk he hated taking. His stupid servant might really quit and then the only time he'd get to see him would be if he came all the way over during a border patrol. _I could have a small manor built this way._ _No!_ The point was to keep Merlin in Camelot at all costs. How he was supposed to do that when the idiot had gotten himself removed from his position, he wasn't sure, but he'd think of something. There was no way he was going home without Merlin. If his father couldn't accept that, too bad.

"They remember me," Merlin laughed. The fool had a handful of corn kernels and the ducks were swarming him. Right next to him was Morgana, doing the same thing. 

He turned on Merlin, eyes narrowed. "Why must you make my life so difficult!?"

Merlin jumped, the corn kernels he'd been holding flew into the air and landed scattered all over the ground. All, but one of the ducks dove for the corn. The one not diving for a snack remained at Merlin's side, threw its head back, wings stretched out and quacked as loud as it could at Arthur. "What did I do!?"

"Everything," Arthur snapped, straightening his posture and death glaring the duck. He wasn't sure who he hated more for getting so close to Merlin, William or the duck.  _ This is ridiculous,  _ he thought, dropping his head into his hand.  _ I don't need to be jealous of a duck. I'll just ask to have it for dinner.  _

By now the other villagers had noticed them and were slowly approaching their group. 

"It's Prince Arthur and Lady Morgana," a woman said.

"Gaius," a man shouted.

"Gaius has come to visit," a woman's voice asked.

"We're saved! Gaius, welcome home!" 

_ Gaius' home is in Camelot, with ME and Merlin!  _ They needed to find the vrykolakas now and leave. 

"Are you mad the villagers are shouting Gaius' name and not yours," Morgana asked, quietly. She sounded like she might laugh at any moment. 

"What? No! That's--" A much better explanation than admitting he was jealous of a duck. "Maybe a little."

"Well stop it." She hit his arm gently. "Gaius grew up here. They're excited he's visiting."

"Well he obviously doesn't like it here or he wouldn't have waited so long to visit!"

"For the-- Arthur, what are you so scared of?" She motioned to the villagers. They were taking turns hugging Gaius, all of them laughing. Everyone was smiling and Gaius himself looked thrilled. 

"How can it not bother you," he demanded. Morgana spent more time with Gaius than he did and where would she get her medicine to stop her nightmares if the physician decided to stay in Ealdor? 

"Why should it?"

"Look how happy everyone is! What if he wants to stay in Ealdor." 

Morgana arched an eyebrow. "And leave Uther behind?"

"My father only treats Gaius so well."

She snorted. "Uther treats Gaius better than most of us and is far more invested in him than you seem to be aware of."

"What are you talking about?"

"... You really don't know?"

"If I did I wouldn't be asking." Morgana was as annoying as having a sister most of the time. 

She smiled brightly. "Hmm." She looked at Arthur, then Merlin, then back to Arthur. "If I tell you, you have to stop pushing Merlin away, deal?"

_ I'm not trying to push him away!  _ "Deal."

She moved closer to him. "Have you never wondered why Uther hasn't remarried?"

"He said he was too consumed by his quest to eradicate magic. I think he's just too heart broken from losing my mother."

"Right. Well, it also helps when you're sneaking your court physician into your room three nights a week." 

She couldn't possibly be serious. "....What?"

"Arthur, everyone knows… well now everyone knows." She shook her head.

"My father is….?" He stared at Gaius. 

"Mhmm." 

_ That means I'm perfectly within my right to court Merlin.  _ He turned to his servant. Merlin was sitting on the ground still petting the stupid duck, oblivious to everything else. "You're sure?"

"It's not like they've been trying to hide it."

"I'll be right back." A second later he was entering the duck pen. "Merlin."

Said teen looked up. "Yeah?" He swore the cursed creature sitting in Merlin's lap was taunting him. 

"Is it true that Gaius and my father are…?"

"Are?"

"Umm… together?" He moved closer and lowered his voice. "Romanticly?" 

Merlin laughed. "Duh. Unless there's some kind of sickness going around, every Monday, Thursday, and Saturday, they have a date night. Why?"

_ I can be with Merlin.  _

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

Arthur could feel a smile growing on his face. 

Merlin frowned and the duck hid it's head under his arm. "...Arthur…?" 

"You're mine now."

Merlin blinked. "Huh?"

"I'm officially asking you to be with me." Gwaine and the duck could go get a place together. Now that he knew his father snuck around with Gaius, he had all the blackmail and precedent he could ever need to make his father not just back off, but stay away. Merlin was finally his.

**(TBC)**


End file.
